Why Lower Rated Broadcast Comedies Like NBC’s Community Are Hits on Hulu

Fox’s comedy “New Girl” has been a solid show for the broadcast network, but certainly not a major ratings hit. On Hulu, it’s a different story.

At least, that’s according to data from SimilarWeb, a UK-based analytics firm that claims to be able to track traffic across the Web. The company has compiled the top 30 series on Hulu from January through April of this year. What that data shows is that more often than not, Hulu’s top shows are modest TV hits seemingly aimed at a younger, Web savvy audience that may not consistently tune in for network TV.

“New Girl,” and two other Fox shows, “Brooklyn Nine Nine” and “The Mindy Project,” frequently find their way into Hulu’s top 10 ranking, as do clips from “Saturday Night Live” on NBC, Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” and NBC’s “The Tonight Show.”

To be clear, it’s not just cult hits that rule: ABC 's “Modern Family,” long a star in the Nielsen ratings, was Hulu’s top show in terms of traffic to its page in February and March, according to SimilarWeb. And “Community,” which NBC just cancelled after five low rated seasons, was the top ranked show on Hulu in January, in terms of visits to its individual show page, according to SimilarWeb.

April’s top show on Hulu was also an NBC comedy: “Parks and Recreation,” which like “Community” has never scored big ratings but has been loved by critics. NBC has picked up”Parks and Recreation,” which has landed in Hulu’s top 10 ranking each of the last four months, for a seventh and final season, though the show doesn’t currently have a spot on NBC’s fall schedule.

“While shows such as “Community” or “Parks and Recreation” are often referred to as niche content, when it comes to online viewership the story is completely different,” said Daniel Buchuk, SimilarWeb’s Head of Brand & Strategy.

This is a big issue for advertisers. Digital media ad buyers are mostly in the dark when it comes to which shows perform well on Hulu, since neither comScore, Nielsen or Hulu report such data. In this case, SimilarWeb, which specializes in tracking referral traffic for Web sites, is pulling the data on Hulu’s traffic independently. A Hulu representative declined to comment but noted that Hulu Plus has been the exclusive subscription video on-demand outlet for “Community” since 2011.

To be sure, Hulu is owned by three of the major networks — Fox, ABC and NBC — which would therefore have viewing data. Indeed, Fox executives noted at the upfronts that Hulu viewership had helped boost audiences for their shows, although its not counted in traditional TV ratings. [Fox's parent, 21st Century Fox, was part of the same company as Wall Street Journal owner News Corp until last year].

SimilarWeb’s data tracks visits to individual show pages on Hulu–it falls short of tracking whether viewers complete full episodes. So at best, it’s an indicator of popularity on the site, not the final word. Plus, as Hulu carries hundreds of hours of content, it is unlikely that any single series commands a huge share of the site’s viewership at one moment.

For example, according to SimilarWeb, most of the top series on the site fall short of even 1% share of the site’s total visits in a given month. “Community’s” share topped out at 1.48% in January, when the show’s fifth season premiered.

Still, it’s interesting to note which shows generate traffic on Hulu and which don’t. Long running animated hits like Fox’s “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons” frequently appear in the top 20. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D”–two series with seemingly opposing demographics, also do well on Hulu, found SimilarWeb.

All this raises the question of whether Hulu should resurrect “Community” now that NBC has cancelled the low-rated but critically acclaimed comedy? Well, Hulu’s owners have pledged to acquire more expensive programming. A show like “Community” is probably too expensive, and relatively long in the tooth for the joint venture to realistically go after. But it’s interesting in light of Hulu’s current slate of originals.

Hulu announced several series renewals at its recent upfront event in New York. But interestingly, the only Hulu original to crack the top 20 was “Deadbeat,” a paranormal-themed comedy the company has heavily promoted over the last few months. That show landed in 14th place in April according to SimilarWeb’s data.

Comments (2 of 2)

I think there is a reason for a sitcom like community to do better online. Because each episode is a stand alone, viewers don't feel the urge to to need to watch when they are on TV. Watching the same random episode later is just as enjoyable. Viewers are also much less likely to accumulate sitcom episodes on the DVR then a serialized drama.
Hulu can equally serve the viewer who wants just catch a random sitcom episode or the customer who has missed a few their favorite serialized drama.

10:10 pm May 25, 2014

Jarl wrote:

I think the fact that these shows are off-beat helps too. They're unusual and not the typical American show (no offense intended!). I think that attracts international viewers (like me, I use https://ironsocket.com to access Hulu even though I live outside the US). It's such a shame that a show like Firefly didn't come along later, I think shows like that, which may have gotten lower broadcast ratings but good DVR and streaming numbers would have thrived.

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